Bike Rack Recommendations...

haha, yea i know it's probably ugly, but the ls430 is gonna be my daily, and i really dont feel like putting a bike rack on my civic and having to climb over a cage and into a bucket seat to lug my bike around.. haha

well if anyones got pics, TIA!!

oh, and hey everybody, as u can tell, im new here

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I'd suggest buying a receiver hitch for your LS430 and then plugging a bike rack into it. You can buy a receiver hitch for your LS430 from the same place I bought one for my 2000 LS400: http://www.etrailer.com/hitch-2006_Lexus_LS430.htm etrailer's service was top notch and I know several people who have also been happy with them.

I've been using the same hitch mounted bike rack since I bought my first LS in 1990. It sure beat carrying bikes on the car roof like I did for the previous 20 years. With a hitch mounted rack, there is no worry about damaging your car roof and it is infinitely easier to slip a bike on a hitch rack than to hoist it on top of the car. And you don't have to worry about driving into a garage and forgetting that you have bikes on top.

The best aspect of using a hitch rack is that there is zero wind noise. The wind roar from roof top bike racks drove me crazy while driving on the highway. My simple 2-bike hitch rack cost me less than $50 in 1990. I saw a 5-bike hitch rack a few months ago for about $200. It takes me only about 60 seconds to mount or remove the hitch rack which I secure with a locking pin in the hitch receiver.

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Jim - Lexus LS driver from 1990 to 2014 - Now driving a 2014 Toyota Sienna Limited with all packages and options including PCS, DRCC and VDIM

Nope, it is not a problem. Actually, I positioned the camera to hide my license plate number. The license plate is not all that difficult to see from the back. I've never been hassled in 18 years of hauling bikes on this rack all over the midwest U.S.

Kansas may be more lenient about license plate display. For example, I've used the same 4'x8' utility trailer for the past 28 years and it completely blocks the view of the license plate on the car. Kansas does not require license plates on small trailers and I've never been hassled when towing my trailer into states that require license plates on trailers. Kansas does provide a complementary "Kansas Small Trailer" license plate but I've never bothered to get one and they are not required. Kansas doesn't require or provide front plates for cars either although I think you can pay extra to get a front vanity plate.

I did a Google and found lots of bike shops in both California and New York selling hitch mounted bike racks so apparently it is not an issue in those states.

Hey, maybe the police just consider us bicycle riders to be nice people!

It is definitely different in the U.K. and Europe. Over there hitch mounted bike rakes often have additional tail lights and a bracket for an additional number plate. You can see the hitch mounted bike rack Lexus dealers sell in the U.K. and Europe at: http://www.lexus.co.uk/range/gs/acce.../exterior.aspx

Beginning with the LS460 in the U.K. and Europe, a hitch mounted bike rack is no longer listed for the LS. Maybe no one makes a hitch for it and Lexus doesn't provide a hitch for the LS460 like it does for other current models.

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Jim - Lexus LS driver from 1990 to 2014 - Now driving a 2014 Toyota Sienna Limited with all packages and options including PCS, DRCC and VDIM

I'd like to purchase a removable trunk mount for 1 or 2 bicycles. I have an 02 LS430. Scratching the trunk lid is a concern. Does anyone regularly use a mount? If so how much time does it take to mount and what brand/model seems to work best?
Thanks,
Bill